For many of us here, and especially, perhaps, for his children, Afif represented a different era. Here in a country so far away from his birth place, let us remember that he came out of and stood for an era that we would do well to recall and recapture in our busy, moders lives. Afif cared deeply about his heritage and his old country. But despite what we might believe about someone who lived and died so far from "home," his feelings did not simply reflect nostalgia. In fact, his heritage and his country meant so much to him because they gave birth to so many people for whom he had such profound admiration and love. His immense regard for family and friends and acquaintances from the old country enriched his ability to appreciate, through out his life, the many wonderful people he met in his adopted country. Afif is greatly missed by all of us who knew him and felt his love, his warmth, and his gentle nature. In the good deeds he lived, and in the purity of heart that he personified, he was a giant among men. God bless his soul, Allah Yurhamu... Issam Ackley